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Glite Dictionary
United States Navy

United States Navy

19 2.8
A branch of the United States military that uses ships and aircraft to protect the country at sea
  • proper noun
  • /juːˈnaɪtɪd steɪts ˈneɪvi/
  • Formal
translation icon : Armada de los Estados Unidos
  • Sometimes the United States Navy has to fight with no warning at all.

It has benefited the United States Navy and Marine Corps, but I think it's also benefited and enriched Harvard University.

Examples

  • A strong United States Navy is essential for keeping a free world.

    Blog text (23)

  • To the United States Navy, our thanks for making this picture possible.

    Destination Tokyo (1943)

  • Because that is the United States Navy way!

    Megalodon (2018)

  • ..tell me why you love the United States Navy.

    G.I. Jane (1997)

  • This is the United States Navy!

    USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016)

  • I'm a lawyer and an officer of the United States Navy.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The United States Navy suffered the worst losses in its history.

    Academic text (1991)

  • Dominic is a veteran of the United States Navy.

    Houseless (2013)

  • Couper served in the naval reserve during World War II and remained active in the United States Navy until his retirement in 1972.

    Academic text (2010)

  • From 2001 to 2005, he served in the United States Navy.

Synonyms

navy
vsUnited States Navy
203 2.0

The part of a country's military that fights at sea

applies to one country only rather than to any country's forces
US Navy
vsUnited States Navy
15 2.5

The part of the United States military that uses ships and submarines

focuses on defense and carrying out naval operations rather than training
USN
vsUnited States Navy
5 3.4

A short name for the United States Navy

is the full official name written out instead of an abbreviation
naval forces
vsUnited States Navy
  • Specialized
5 3.4

Military ships and the people who use them to fight at sea

is the government branch responsible for defense and naval operations rather than only ships

Surface Forms

United States Navy main

Morphology

united + state + navy

The phrase is directly compositional: 'United' + 'States' denotes the nation (United States) and 'navy' denotes the maritime military service, so the combined meaning is the naval branch of that country. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words can therefore infer it refers to the United States' naval forces; similar noun-modifier constructions are common cross-linguistically.

Etymology

United States Navy comes from putting United States (the name of the 'country') and navy (the group of ships and sailors who work at the 'sea') together. That is why it means the official military force of the 'country' on the 'sea', the ships, sailors, and actions that protect the United States.